After a year of mulling over the plan to procure either an Indian or Chinese replacement for medium- to high-altitude interceptions, announced back in July 2024, Brazil has decided to leave negotiations with India over the purchase of the Akash surface-to-air missile system.
Instead, as reported by The Defense Post, the Brazilian military is now turning its attention to the European-made CAMM system from MBDA.
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The reason for the withdrawal is rather straightforward: India was unwilling to offer the latest iteration of the Akash SAM, proposing instead an older variant that failed to meet Brazilian expectations. The potential deal, had it gone through, was estimated at 5 billion Indian rupees, or around $60 million.
Brazil's shift to CAMM is also easy to explain: the country already uses a naval version of the system, which is slated to arm the locally-built Tamandaré-class frigates.
While The Defense Post only confirms Brazil’s pivot from the Indian to the European system, it provides no specifics regarding the potential CAMM order, such as quantities, contract value, or delivery timelines.
These matters aside, Defense Express would like to point out two notable nuances of this development. First, the inability of two BRICS and Global South countries to reach an agreement on arms procurement. Ultimately, Brazil chose to deepen cooperation with a European manufacturer over forging new defense ties with a geopolitical partner.
Second, the fact that MBDA, a leading European manufacturer of air defense systems, aims for the relatively quiet Latin American market could have broader implications. Increased exports may affect the number of air defense systems available worldwide and specifically to European NATO member countries, reflecting in their ability to send additional air defense systems to Ukraine.
For Ukraine, which faces daily russian airstrikes and is struggling to secure additional air defense equipment abroad, an extra strain on European production lines may delay obtaining crucial systems.
After all, today's security environment and defense market have reached a point where money no longer matters — only time does. And the longer a country has to wait for its systems, the higher the cost on the battlefield.
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